News

PSU to launch new online Middle East teaching resource

Author: John Kirkland

Posted: November 8, 2012

The Middle East Studies Center at Portland State University (PSU) has developed an online resource for teachers in grades K through 12 that includes some 400 maps, articles, illustrations and photos about the Middle East.

It’s launching the site Monday, Nov. 12 in honor of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education promoting programs that prepare Americans for a global environment.

The Center developed the site, called Middle East Teaching Tools, over the last year in response to demand by teachers.

“I get frequent emails from teachers saying ‘I’m teaching a lesson about such-and-such. Can you send me information,’” said Elisheva Cohen, outreach coordinator for the Middle East Studies Center. “I know of nothing else quite like this. There are other organizations that offer lesson plans, but nothing this comprehensive.”

Teachers also contributed to the site, and will take part in the ongoing process of keeping it current and making it grow.

The Middle East Studies Center started in 1959 as the first federally supported undergraduate program in the nation for Arab language and the study of the Middle East region. It supports academic conferences, workshops, cultural events, lectures and a resource library. PSU’s Middle East studies curriculum covers a number of disciplines including foreign language courses in Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish and Persian.